In past decades, mobile machinery used in the fields of construction, mining, agriculture, forestry, and related industries often had a simple driver's seat or open platform or cockpit from where an operator controlled the machine. Depending upon the application, the operator was typically only minimally protected from the elements, with relatively little concern for comfort and protection of the various controls. Classic farm tractors, track-type machines, motor graders, excavators, and still others had relatively little need for protection of the relatively simple controls, often designed to withstand exposure to the elements.
In more modern machines, an increase awareness of the advantages of operator comfort with regard to decreased fatigue and improved productivity, not to mention the need to protect more sensitive and expensive computerized controls, displays, and communications equipment, has resulted in comfortable, secure, and highly functional operator cabs becoming more the norm on various types of equipment. Audio systems, heat and air conditioning, air filtration, comfort seats and ergonomic controls are standard equipment on many machines. Increased sophistication of the operator workspace has, of course, created new challenges for engineers and operator interface designers. Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,958 to Peifer is entitled Pivoted Window For Cab of Motor Vehicle. Peifer proposes a motor vehicle with a cab having forward observation windows where a pivoted, outwardly opening window structure has a lock to secure it in any desired position between a closed position and an open position. The window structure pivots about an axis located such that opening of the window does not interfere with a windshield wiper arm and blade.